A century of commerce (Part 3, 2000-2004)

2000

* Stan Popp retired from insurance business after more than 40 years. His office was split into two new insurance branches: Lauren Adkisson and Rob Dohogne.

* Preswick Group acquired tract of land off Bloomfield Road for the development of a 27-hole golf course.

* Frank Snider opened Snider Paranormal Investigations at 733 Broadway.

* Home Health Supply Co., opened at 760 S. Kingshighway in the Eagle Peak Building.

* Abbey Manufacturing of Chicago purchased the former Florsheim Shoe plant in Cape Girardeau and planned to employ 40 to 50 workers to make shoes.

* Parts Today, offering parts for appliances, opened at 517 N. Silver Springs Road in Cape Girardeau.

* Jurrock's Park Zoo and Pet Shop opened at 853 S. Kingshighway.

* The Regional Social Scene Ltd. was founded in Cape Girardeau.

* Cindy Wright opened First Impressions Styling Salon at 125 S. Broadview St.

* Tobacco Lane & Gifts moved to 244 S. Silver Springs Road.

* Capaha Realty moved to 1427 Thomas Drive.

* Heights Finance Corp. opened a branch office at 125 Broadview St., Suite 5.

* Governor Mel Carnahan named Cape Girardeau a Main Street community.

* Cape Janitor Supply moved to 612 S. Kingshighway.

* The Plant Lady's Corner, previously located at 1 S. Main St., moved up the street to 221 Independence St.

* K.C. and Stephanie Martin became the new owners of Cafe Cape.

* Brian Weiss purchased Little Caesar's Pizza.

* Stephen C. Wilson and Elizabeth H. Heisserer joined their law practices to form a new law firm -- Wilson & Heisserer L.C.

* Marcy Dockins moved her shoe store to 3050 William St. and renamed it Marcy's Planet Shoes. It had been called Marcy's Shoes.

* Gene Benthal purchased Qwik Fix Shoe and Boot Repair, 211 S. Plaza Way.

* Jim Riley of Red Letter Communications purchased five downtown parcels, including the former Job Service Building at 231 N. Main St., from Boyd Gaming of Las Vegas. The Main Street building became Red Letter's new headquarters.

* Rhea Optical Company, 1105 Broadway, was purchased by Chuck Ross.

* Express Cycle-Powersports, 1407 North Kingshighway, merged with St. Louis Powersports.

* Cape Imaging-MRI facility opened at William Street and Mount Auburn Road.

* Progressive Realty & Insurance opened at Westfield Shoppingtown West Park.

* Check Please, a locally owned payday advance financial company, relocated its Cape Girardeau store to the former Mercantile branch facility in Town Plaza.

* LifeBeat Air Medical Service at Southeast Missouri Hospital became a part of ARCH Air Medical Service Inc.

* Toddle Around Infant and Toddler Development Center opened at 318 Plaza Way.

* Progressive Realty & Insurance opened in Westfield Shoppingtown West Park.

* Victoria's Secret store opened in Westfield Shoppingtown West Park.

* Concord Printing Services installed a Heidelberg Printmaster GTO, five-color press at its expanded printing press facility at 500 William St.

* Silk Tree Factory changed its name to Trees N Trends.

* Becky Kies and Kerrie Foley opened Picadilly's gift shop at The Crossroads.

* Ram Power Services moved its shop and offices to 4740 State Highway 74.

* Occupational Drug and Alcohol Collection Services (ODACS) Inc. opened an office at 1213A N. Kingshighway.

* Cammie Seabaugh became the new owner of Special Effects Beauty Salon, 2532 William St.

* Professional Real Estate Inspections LLC was opened by Dan Little and John Sarff.

* Lynda Gant became the new owner of Sandy's, a women's sportswear store, at The Crossroads.

* Keith and Rosetta Colley moved Brick Street Gallery from Sikeston, Mo., to the Paddle Wheel Plaza Building, 5 N. Main St.

* Cape Mini Storage opened near the intersection of Golden Eagle Court and Kingshighway.

* Derrick Charles opened Treasureable Moments store at 127 N. Main St.

* A branch of Home Medical Supply opened at 706 S. Kingshighway.

* First Horizon Money Center, a division of First Tennessee Bank, opened at 252 S. Mount Auburn Road.

* Meyer's Alt Haus Wieder (Old House Again) opened at 509 Morgan Oak Street.

* Nathan Sides purchased the facilities of Riverside Recording Studio, reopening it as The Vibe Studio, L.L.C.

* Advanced Pest Control moved into larger quarters at 821 Progress St.

* Diana King became the new owner of Hairport, 2033 Independence St.

* Elizabeth Hileman opened Candy Bouquet in Cape Girardeau.

* Old Town Cape Inc. opened its office at 111 Independence St.

* Bob Evans Restaurant, at the intersection of Interstate 55 and Route K, opened.

* Sherry Johnson opened Houchin's Do-Nuts Drive In at Kingshighway and Hopper Road.

* A 27-hole golf course under construction at Prestwick Plantation alongside Bloomfield Road was named Dalhousie Golf Club.

* Progressive Insurance Company relocated its Southeast Missouri claims and operations offices to the Auburn Park Place building near the intersection of William Street and S. Mount Auburn Road.

* Carol Wilson became a new partner in Treasurable Moments.

* SunCom Wireless opened at 350 N. Kingshighway.

* Blue Cross moved its training facilities to Auburn Park Place.

* A Sprint Store was established on North Kingshighway, in the former A&W restaurant building.

2001

* The Platinum Sports Bar and Dance Club opened at 823 S. Kingshighway.

* Jeff and Megan Graviett of Chaffee, Mo., became the new owners of the Friends Forever preschool and three After School Kids' Club in Cape Girardeau.

* Linda and Terry Bass started Comfort Keepers, which provided senior citizens with extra assistance to help manage everyday life.

* Justin Denton opened Burrito-Ville at 1027 Broadway.

* The Hagan Store - a new book shop at 437 Broadway - offered a selection of new and used, hardbook and paperback books.

* Siemers Appliance, an appliance store at Jackson for more than 29 years, opened a branch at 342 S. Kingshighway.

* The Monticello House Nursing Home opened its new 75-bed, skilled nursing facility.

* Attitudes Styling Salon opened at 208 Independence.

* Judith Anne's became Patricia Ann's in downtown Cape Girardeau.

* Mardi Gras Cajun Cookin' opened on Broadway in Cape Girardeau.

* River Realty moved to 517 N. Silver Springs Road.

* Love Creations Beauty Salon opened at 110 S. Sprigg.

* Bo Shantz, agent for State Farm Insurance Cos., moved to 1213B N. Kingshighway.

* Earl Norman, chairman of the board and chief executive officer of Health Services Corporation of America, sold the business, which he founded in Cape Girardeau 32 years ago.

* A.G. Edwards & Sons Inc. relocated from #11 The Crossroads to #1 The Crossroads.

* Dockside Furniture Consignment Shop opened in the Paddle Wheel Plaza, 4 N. Spanish.

* Classic Designs Beauty Salon moved to 521 N. Silver Springs Road.

* Your House Home & Garden Accents opened at 108 N. Main.

* Schnuck Market Inc. purchased Bill's Pharmacy.

* Mail Boxes Etc. moved to a new location, 2128 William.

* Eldon Nattier and James Coley opened the restored home at 611 S. Sprigg as Rose Bed Inn Bed and Breakfast.

* Rick Hetzel opened House Doctor's Handyman Services, 2711 Thomas Drive.

* Doris' Antiques & Collectibles moved down the street, from 631 to 627 Good Hope.

* Main Street Furniture opened at 45 N. Main.

* Annie Kate's, a consignment and resale shop, opened at 709 Broadway.

* Brick Street Gallery Art Antiques and Creative Designs moved to 19 N. Spanish St., a building which formerly housed Save-A-Lot Grocery, which in turn moved to the intersection of William and Sprigg.

* Mike and Sherry Yaeger opened The Renaissance Shop at 334 N. Main Street.

* The Bank of America opened its new Schnucks In-Store banking center.

* Hillin and Clark, P.C., moved to 264 S. Broadview.

* Toulouse Interiors, a new furniture shop, opened at 45 N. Main.

* SBC Southwestern Bell began offering long-distance telephone service in Missouri.

* John Cai, owner of China Palace, relocated his restaurant to 2123 Broadway.

* Heartland in Jackson merged with Century 21 Ashland Realty in Cape Girardeau.

* Cape Girardeau's oldest tavern - the Corner Pub, at Independence and Frederick - closed its doors.

2002

* Mr. Goodcents, a sandwich shop, opened in the new strip mall at 820 N. Sprigg.

* Four Westfield Shoppingtown stores - Cookie Corner, A&W Hot Dogs and More, Camelot Music and Friedman's Jewelers - closed in January.

* Clas Computers Corp. and Square One Electronics Inc. formed a co-marketing and distribution alliance.

* Bill and Shelley Zellmer opened Buffalo Wild Wings restaurant in Town Plaza this summer.

* After more than a year of toiling in red tape and litigation, Renaissance Aircraft broke ground at the Cape Girardeau Regional Airport on a new 52,000-square-foot manufacturing facility.

* Christopher Bearrs jumped ship from the corporate world to Cape Girardeau to open Indigo Restaurant and Spirits at 2 N. Main.

* Paducah, Ky., resident Israel Delapaz opened Casa Mexicana in the building which formerly housed Bob's Fish House on North Kingshighway.

* Cassy Gibson opened J.D.'s Quick Shop at 1101 William St.

* Sage Telecom began providing telephone service to Cape Girardeau residential and business customers.

* The Corner Pub at 1 S. Frederick Street reopened as Al's Place. The new owner of the bar was Alfred McCain.

* Jerry Howe and his business partners purchased LDD Inc., the small Cape Girardeau-based telephone company, and renamed it Big River Telephone.

* Linda Minner, who worked at the Cape Girardeau Chamber Commerce since 1968, retired.

* Michele and Mike Griffin established Shred Plus, a document-shredding company.

* The Shoe Department opened in Westfield Shoppingtown West Park.

* Leisure Retreat, offering massages, body wraps, etc., opened at 121 S. Broadview at Broadview Plaza. The owner was Laura Pridemore.

* Kinder Morgan Power Co. proposed constructing a power plant in southwest Cape Girardeau County.

* A Michael Tanner furniture clearance store opened at 612 Broadway replacing Curious Goods, an antique store.

* My Nguyen opened Nail Pro at 336 N. Kingshighway.

* Premier Counseling opened in the H&H Building at 400 Broadway.

* Mike's Auto Repair opened at 1138 S. Kingshighway behind Cape Motor Co. in the shop that used to be Poor Boys Garage.

* Mark Rigdon purchased Plaza Laundry, 209 Independence, from Cape Girardeau native Doug Ross.

* Church leaders at First Assembly of God purchased the 60,000-square-foot building at 254 Silver Springs Road, which formerly housed Shop 'n' Save and later Mr. K's Food Center.

* Firstar Bank became U.S. Bank, more than a year after the two corporations merged.

* After a 13-month stay in Cape Girardeau, Albertsons Food and Drug closed its doors. * Needful Things, an antique shop, moved from 200 Broadway to where Madder Rose Antiques Mall had been located at 40 N. Main. Marilyn's Hair Salon also moved from 125 N. Main to 221 Independence, the former location of Design Alliance.

* Mike and Sherry Yaeger purchased the old Hale building at Broadway and Main and moved Renaissance into the new location.

* Michele Sedlock began operating her own ice cream truck on the streets of Cape Girardeau.

* Plainswalkers Gamers Guild opened at 821-D Broadway. The business was owned by Rod Edwards.

* After a two-year campaign, registered nurses at St. Francis Medical Center overwhelmingly voted to reject the proposal to join the United Food and Commercial Workers Union Local 655.

* Landscape Magic, wholesalers of Rubberific mulch, opened at 1204 Meadowbrook.

* B&H Performance Automotive opened at 209 S. Sprigg .

* Siblings Jane Gaffigan, Kathy Menz, Mark Marshall and Gaffigan's husband, Tom, opened their first commercial photography studio at 823 N. Kingshighway.

* Dennis Seyer started his own company doing what he has done for Southeast Missouri State University and other schools: Setting up individual and group travel as well as arts promotions.

* Papers were signed finalizing the purchase of Prime Time Rent To Own at 612 Morgan Oak by Rent 1.

* After 23 years of running one of Cape Girardeau's oldest and largest consignment shops, Ella Dowd decided to close Cast-A-Ways.

* Best Buy opened at 254 S. Silver Springs Road.

* Michele Sedlock opened Ziggy's Consignment at 16 N. Frederick.

* Michelson Jewelers closed its store at the mall.

* Matchmaker International opened at 364 S. Broadview, Suite C.

* John and Jerri Wyman, Cape Girardeau restauranteurs, sold Mollie's to longtime chef Matthew Tygett and restaurant's general manager, Michael Risch.

* Poplar Bluff-based Genesis Employment extended its services to the Cape Girardeau area.

* Olympic Funding opened its new office at Heritage Square at 2131 William

* Two new antique stores opened in Cape Girardeau: Triple S Flea Market at 402 S. Sprigg and Antiques Etc., at 225 N. Sprigg.

* Cape Girardeau's Baskin-Robbins ice cream parlor closed its doors.

* Marvels & Legends, a specialty comic book store, moved from 1030 Broadway across the street into the old Burritoville building at 1027 Broadway.

* Spectrum Transformer moved to 624 Commercial.

* Annie-Em's, a new antique and gift shop, opened at 38 N. Main.

* Friends, relatives and former patients of Dr. Jesse Ramsey gathered to remember his contributions to children's health and to dedicate Southeast Missouri Hospital's new nursery and neonatal intensive care unit in his honor.

* Fruitland brothers Clint and Thor Welker opened America's Pasttime Sports Cards and Collectibles at 14 N. Sprigg.

* Almost a year after opening, Main Street Furniture in downtown Cape Girardeau closed in the fall.

* Cape Girardeau real estate investors Eric and Karla Marquart and Mike and Debbie Annis formed a company called SEMO Land, LLC. One of the company's first moves involved buying several residential subdivisions in Southeast Missouri, including Forest Hills off Sprigg Street and Ashland Courts off Boulder Crest in Cape Girardeau, as well as subdivisions in Fruitland, Malden, Miner, Dexter and Poplar Bluff.

* The former Sonic and Jay's Fried Chicken buildings at 875 and 879 N. Kingshighway were sold to make way for a new insurance offices and two new retail stores. Chap Arnold of Chap Arnold Insurance planned to demolish the former Jay's Fried Chicken building and build his first Cape Girardeau Chap Arnold Insurance office.

* Aeropostale, one of the most popular men's and junior's retail chains, opened Westfield Shoppingtown West Park.

* Petco opened.

* The HoneyBaked Ham Co. purchased Heavenly Ham.

* Lone Star Industries battled the Mississippi River, which spewed millions of gallons of water into the company's 350-foot-deep stone quarry.

* Mark Kasten, the owner of Rental Land, opened an offshoot business called Rental Land Special Events at 52 S. Plaza Way.

* Cape Shoe Co., which occupied the old Florsheim Shoe manufacturing plant at 1600 S. West End Blvd., swapped locations with RM Coco Fabrics 21, 2355 Rusmar.

* Less than a year after unveiling its new Family Birthplace, St. Francis Medical Center announced plans to expand the facility, tearing down the building that housed the center and rebuilding its obstetrics and neonatal intensive care units in another part of the hospital.

* Cape Girardeau Mayor Jay Knudtson and real estate agent Thomas M. Meyer placed a "sold" sign on old Marquette Hotel, declaring it saved. The Missouri Division of Facilities Management awarded a state contract for office space to Prost Builders, the new owners of the building.

* Illustrious Jack's, a frozen custard shop, opened at 1740 Broadway.

* Susan Steel opened Southern Heritage Bed and Breakfast at the corner of Independence and Lorimier.

* Tropical Tans opened at 1601 Independence.

* Steve Taylor and Jay Knudtson left their top executive positions at Bank of America to help start a new bank in Cape Girardeau - First Missouri State Bank.

* A Nashville-based development group - MRW Retail - reached an agreement to buy the former Albertsons building in Cape Girardeau.

* Lenora Blankenship opted to close the Clip Shop in the Town Plaza, rather than relocate to another spot. That shop, along with Al's Barber Shop and Baskin-Robbins, was combined for a larger commercial space.

* The city of Cape Girardeau officially handed over control of the Convention and Visitors Bureau to the Cape Girardeau Chamber of Commerce.

* The Spirit of Harmony Yoga Studios opened at 1636 Independence Suite C.

* The Dairy Queen at 31 S. Kingshighway, owned for years by Frank Bean, was sold to King William Management Inc.

* Prodigy's, offering hair cuts, hair coloring and perms, opened at 125 S. Broadview in the Broadview Plaza.

* KFVS-12 and parent company Raycom Media bought WQWQ and WQTV, the local UPN affiliates serving the Cape Girardeau, Paducah, Harrisburg television markets.

* The Record Store, opened by Don Kapfer in 1979, closed its doors.

* A renewed interest in more professional business attire prompted Thorngate Ltd. to increase its production of suits and sports coats by 60 percent - a boost that required the Cape Girardeau manufacturer to increase its workforce by about 50 new jobs.

* Kasie's Cookies opened at Westfield Shoppingtown West Park.

* T&C Web Sites started operations in Cape Girardeau. Owners were Carl Wagner and Tony Ank.

* Rocky Brown opened Rock's Basic Bar at 2100 Big Bend Road.

* Anita Lambert of Scott City opened Gift Patch at 213 S. Plaza Way.

* Wayne and Brenda Voss sold Dockside Consignment at 5 N. Main to Susan Strode.

* Karl Ketcham and his wife, Stella Blue, opened a tattoo parlor, Tatmandu, at 733 Broadway.

* Hip Hop Shop moved from downtown Cape Girardeau to the Westfield Shoppingtown West Park.

* Best Buy opened on William Street.

* Tina Collins opened Duck Threads at 108 N. Main

* Recognizing the need for an ice cream parlor in Cape Girardeau since the closing of Baskin-Robbins, Dennis "Doc" Cain opened Old Town Cafe and Ice Cream Co. inside Port Cape at 19 N. Water.

* Renee Ross purchased Hit Man's Tattoos from John Hitt and changed the name to Flesh Hound Tattoo Studio.

* Pyramid Clinical Services opened at Lorimont Place.

* Hair Styling for Men opened at 1207 N. Kingshighway.

* Security Alarms opened at 1940 Golden Eagle Court.

* Mac's Smokehouse Airport Restaurant opened at a second location - 525 N. Silver Springs.

* Christina Ellinghouse-Batchelor purchased Kids Wear Again on Main Street from her mother.

* Julie Southard and Peggy Smith sold Unique Brides, 17 N. Main Street, to Jennifer Marlow and Valorie Marlow.

* Cape Reconditioning Center opened at 835 S. Kingshighway.

* Two Cape Girardeau convenience stores, Dwight's Amoco at William and Kingshighway and Wink's Mini-Mart at 2861 Themis, closed within a week, and another, Casey's General Stores Inc., decided not to open here.

* Tuesday Morning opened at the Town Plaza.

* A groundbreaking ceremony was held at the site for the new 1st Community Bank building, 17 S. Mount Auburn Road.

* In October, Kinder Morgan Power Co. terminated its plan to build a $300 million power plant between Crump and Whitewater in rural Cape Girardeau County.

* The Blank family bought the old Chrisman Art Gallery at 34 N. Main. Renovation plans for the building included two 3,000-square-foot commercial ventures on the main floor level and three apartments upstairs.

* Dana Rowland opened Charmful Creations, which offers charm bracelets, costume jewelry, home decor and craft items, at 211-A S. Kingshighway.

* Metropolitan Employment and Rehabilitation Services/Goodwill Industries opened an office at 332 Silver Springs Road.

* Shelter Insurance Cos. announced plans to close its Cape Girardeau branch claims office and consolidate the Cape Girardeau claims operations into the companies' branch office in St. Louis.

* Hempie's, Cape Girardeau's first licensed head shop in probably 30 years, was opened at 113 Themis by Sean Wibbenmeyer.

* Teen Video opened on Sprigg Street right across from the Salvation Army.

* The former Patricia Ann's gift shop at 130 N. Main was sold to Jeff and Debra Martin.

* Peggy Epps opened Hey Mommy, a crafts store/consignment shop, at 403 Broadway.

* Willy Jak's owner Robert LaGore remodeled his downtown restaurant and nightclub and reopened it as Nick's Family Sports Pub.

* Procter & Gamble announced plans to build a new $150 million paper machine at the Cape Girardeau plant to boost the facility's tissue- and towel-making capacity by 80,000 tons a year.

* Mustafa Kemal Stokely opened Unexpected Treasure, an antique store, at 622 Broadway.

* Clas Computers, added a phone company to its computer store and Internet service.

* La Croix Village opened most of its shops at the new French-style 9,800-square-foot building along Route W just north of the city limits. Four of the units opened, including the beauty shop, the furniture store, a florist and a doctor's office (Dr. Rod Crist).

* Automation Services, specializing in computer network and security, moved from Mount Auburn to 2751 Thomas Drive.

2003

* Dan Drury, president of Midamerica Hotels Corp., announced plans in January to raze the Holiday Inn in Cape Girardeau and replace it with a new Holiday Inn Express Hotel & Suites.

* Richard and Jane Daume sold their Kwik Kopy printing business to Ted and Jason Coalter, owners of Cape Girardeau Printing Co.

* Beard's Sporting Shop at 811 Broadway, in business 44 years, closed.

* The Coast Guard closed two stretches of the Mississippi River as the waterway approached record low levels in some areas, contributing to the grounding of at least five tows.

* Vel Green became the new owner of Elan Day Spa.

* Susan Dean, manager of Hecht's Women for many years, took over the business with a couple of silent partners. The business was renamed the Woman's Store.

* Citing years of decreasing customers, Union Planters Bank officials decided to shut down the branch at 325 Broadway. It was the the last full-service bank in downtown Cape Girardeau.

* John Sander closed the Cape Girardeau True Value hardware store his father started 27 years ago.

* Applebee's International Inc. reached an agreement with its biggest franchisee, Thomas and King Inc., to buy the assets of 11 Applebee's restaurants - including the one in Cape Girardeau.

* Under the Sun Tanning Co., owned by Daniel and Jessica Richardson, opened at La Croix Village.

* Soskin Cape Toyota began selling Mitsubishis.

* Broussard's owner Shawn Stockard confirmed that his downtown Cape Girardeau restaurant was for sale.

* Renaissance expanded the store downtown on the corner of Broadway and Main Street. Three more storefronts, all the way to the alley on Broadway directly across from the Convention and Visitor's Bureau, were added to the store.

* Hairstylist Millie Yates opened Cape Cuts at 1930 Broadway.

* Endless Summer Tan opened at 1420 N. Kingshighway.

* Workers prepared a site on Lexington, between La Croix United Methodist Church and Commerce Bank, for construction of a 12,000-square-foot office building.

* Spectrum Training Center opened at 14 N. Sprigg.

* Clark and Sons Excavating withdrew its architect's plans for a retail/office center planned for 1705 N. Kingshighway in that area next to Elias Ace Hardware.

* Jerry Davis, the man who brought McDonald's restaurant to Cape Girardeau 35 years ago, was killed in an airplane crash near Sparta, Ill, along with his flight instructor, Kenneth Krongos.

* Westfield Shoppingtown West Park opened A Court of Honor area next to the Pasta House. The area was designed for the community to pay tribute to members of the U.S. armed forces.

* Omer and Brinda Luttrull sold The Country Shade Craft Mall at 8 Plaza Way to Janet Hahs of Biehle, Mo., and Mary Keller of Cape Girardeau.

* Gary D. Forsee, formerly of Cape Girardeau, was named the new chief executive of Sprint Corp.

* The ribbon was cut for the second location of My Daddy's Cheesecake at La Croix Village on Route W.

* Donna Diebold Joplin opened SEMO Appraisal in Cape Girardeau.

* Mac's Tavern on the corner of Frederick and Independence was purchased by Spencer Tollison of Jackson.

* Space Walk owner Mac McConnell opened a party room and play room at 2525 Highway 177.

* Mailboxes Etc. stores in Cape Girardeau and Sikeston changed their names to The UPS Stores. UPS bought Mailboxes Etc. two years ago.

* Dr. Chris Jung sold Soap 'N Suds Laundry to Sarath Gunawardhana of Chesterfield, Mo. The name was changed to Waterworks.

* Cycle Werx opened at 1407 N. Kingshighway.

* The Cape Girardeau Jaycees, who created the municipal golf course in the 1960s, donated the 120-acre site on Perryville Road to the city.

* The Comedy Club opened at Jeremiah's.

* Jan and Bill Wilkins closed In the Wine Cellar.

* China Town Buffet opened in the old Western Sizzlin' building.

* Eddie Bauer closed its Westfield Shoppingtown West Park store.

* One of Cape Girardeau's most prominent office parks - Lorimont - was offered for sale. It was home to such businesses as MedAssets, HealthSouth Rehabilitation, State Farm Insurance, Pyramid Medical Services, Audiology Center, The Yellow Pages and Lorimont Real Estate offices.

* Sweet Peas clothing and gift shop opened at 34 N. Main.

* Matt Taylor opened Varieties at 36 N. Main.

* Chip and Debbie Peterson opened CiCi's Pizza at 221 Broadview.

* Jerome Zimmer, a well-respected local radio pioneer who started one of the nation's first country stations in Cape Girardeau, died in May.

* St. Francis Medical Center broke ground for its new $20 million Health and Wellness Center.

* Sunbelt Credit, a consumer loan company, opened in The Crossroads Center.

* Despite two years of strenuous legal wrangling, continuing cash-flow problems and some doubt about the marketability of their airplanes, officials at Renaissance Aircraft insisted their promise to create 200 new jobs and to begin production at the regional airport soon were more than flights of fancy.

* Shery Varney began offering horse-drawn carriage rides in downtown Cape Girardeau.

* Cross Trails Medical Center broke ground for a new clinic on Broadview across the street from K's Merchandise.

* Loy Welker, president of Broadway Park Investment, purchased two commercial properties in Cape Girardeau. One was the strip mall at 820 N. Sprigg, which included Tan It All, Burritoville, Mr. Goodcents, the White House and DC's Cafe. The second development he bought was on North Kingshighway, home to The Brace Place, Miracle Ear and Remax Achievers.

* Renee Luttrell opened Family Moving and Storage at 1301 N. Kingshighway, Suite E.

* The old Teen Challenge thrift store building at 6 N. Sprigg, which suffered fire damage a few years ago, was bought by Vince and Terrence Kelley. They planned to rebuild the structure to create a commercial rental property.

* Southeast Missouri Hospital announced plans to replace its grassy hillside on Broadway with a four-story medical office building and an adjoining parking garage.

* Cape Girardeau native Kevin Van de Ven was promoted to the position of president and chief operating officer of LMP Steel and Wire Co. of Maryville, Mo.

* Midamerica Hotels Corp. gave the drab old Holiday Inn Convention Center a much-needed face lift and changed its name to the Plaza Conference Center.

* Jamey and Susan Hall opened The Paint Can Decorating Center at 108 N. Main St.

* The Cape Girardeau Convention and Visitors Bureau commissioned a $42,000 marketing study to give the city a grand name it can sell to tourists.

* Michigan-based auto parts maker ArvinMeritor launched a hostile takeover bid for Dana Corp., offering $15 per share in cash for all privately held Dana shares.

* Po'Man Concessions began operating a mobile concession stand at 709 William.

* First State Bank of Farmington signed a deal, pending regulatory approval, to open a branch in Cape Girardeau to be known as First State Community Bank.

* US Bank took over the bank branch at the University Center on the campus of Southeast Missouri State University from Commerce Bank.

* Former Kemin executive and Cape Girardeau native Hal Fallert was named president and chief executive officer of S3i Sound, a company that developed Sound Without Speakers audio technology.

* ACT Services LLC, a local business owned and operated by Curt Greer and Carol Kitchen Greer, acquired the Best Gourmet Coffee Distributorship for this area.

* Diamond Wireless opened at Westfield Shoppingtown West Park.

* Their patience exhausted, the developers of the Prestwick Plantation withdrew their hotly debated request for tax-increment financing, an economic development tool that would have paid to extend streets, sewers and water to the upscale 700-home subdivision planned for western Cape Girardeau.

* Bobby McDonald, who developed a strip mall at 820 N. Sprigg, sold the White House club that had been in the back of the mall to TJ Henderson.

* Apropos Gifts and More opened at 97 N. Kingshighway, Suite 4.

* Carpet Connection owners John and Connie Fodge purchased property at 766 S. Kingshighway to build a new 8,000-square-foot retail/showroom/warehouse facility.

* Sylvan Learning Center of Cape Girardeau announced plans to construct a new office building on West Drive.

* St. Louis Bread Co. changed its name to Panera Bread.

* Owners of Dalhousie Golf Club decided to open a private dining facility at 17 S. Spanish.

* Longtime painters Bill O'Kelly and Mark Schwartz started their own business called Classic Colors Painting.

* Broadway Station's existence was short-lived. Owner Stephen Majeed closed the gas station at 600 Broadway.

* DLJ Cape LLC, headed by Daniel Jones, bought the Cape Girardeau Lorimont development along South Mount Auburn Road.

* Hanger Prosthetics and Orthotics opened at 3065 William St., Suite 205.

* Corner Cafe, 117 Themis, closed its doors.

* Insta-Cash opened at 67 S. Plaza Way, sharing an office with SEMO Recreational Leagues.

* Emad Salamy reopened Phoenicia, a Middle Eastern Restaurant on Sprigg Street, after a two-month break.

* Cafe Azu opened in the spot that used to be Manee Thai.

* River City Imaging was opened by Rick Ross. The center offered outpatient MRIs.

* Developer Jim Maevers purchased the Albertsons building from the Tennessee group that bought the property when the grocery store closed. Arby's agreed to buy the spot in the parking lot where the convenience store was and put up a restaurant.

* St. Louis Nights, a blues club operated by T.C. Scruggs, opened at Broadway and Middle.

* Plans were announced for the transformation of the northeast corner of Kingshighway and Bloomfield. Planned for the corner, to be called Bloomfield Crossing, was a new bank branch, a tax service business and an Aaron's Sales and Lease rent-to-own store.

* Emily Terry started her own photography business called On Location Portraits.

* The new First Community Bank opened at the southwest corner of South Mount Auburn Road and Independence.

* A new Saturn car dealership opened on Siemers Drive.

* Jim Wilson Co. closed its doors.

* Mr. Tire opened at 915 Broadway. The owner was David McCormick.

* Stan Thompson and his wife, Kay, along with business partners Ronnie and Pam Wesbecher, proposed a $1 million RV and camping park on North Kingshighway that would feature 100 pull-through spots, five log cabins, a swimming pool, miniature golf and an outdoor pavilion.

* Linda Bohnsack installed The Garden Gallery, which specialized in high quality, hand-crafted merchandise, above Grace Cafe on the corner of Broadway and Pacific.

* Mark Dirnberger, a longtime local restaurant manager, purchased Bella Italia, the popular downtown Italian eatery, from John and Jerri Wyman.

* The Taste reopened under the management of Patrick Buck.

* Drury Inns Inc. unveiled plans for a new 180-room hotel in Cape Girardeau in an area the company hoped eventually would warrant that many rooms. A new seven-story Drury Inn & Suites was planned for a seven-acre tract at the southeast corner of Interstate 55 and Highway 74 on property that also included three unnamed restaurants.

* Mac's Smokehouse Restaurant, owned by Dave McAllister, closed its doors at the Cape Girardeau Regional Airport, consolidating operations at the Silver Springs Road location in Cape Girardeau.

* Tootie Hecht, Dan Elkins and Martin Hecht, owners, closed Hecht's Store.

* Francine Seier's daughter, Debby Erlbacher, took over the flower shop and wedding garden her mother ran for nearly 20 years at 38 N. Pacific St.

* Owner Vel Green closed Elan Day Spa.

* Family Moving and Storage at 1301 N. Kingshighway expanded to include a new business called All Star Delivery Service.

* Rent A Center bought out Show Me Rent to Own.

* Walter White opened the Ole Country Store at 1007 S. Sprigg, former location of Ratliff's Grocery store.

* Teresa Morrill and partners Amanda Chapman and Jerry Taylor opened a new advertising and marketing agency called AJT Enterprises at 840 S. Kingshighway.

* Miss Print, a small-business print shop, opened at 891 N. Kingshighway with Tina Parrish as owner.

* A groundbreaking ceremony was held for the new federal courthouse in Cape Girardeau.

* A year after opening, Andrew Johnson moved his Comix Strip store from 407 Broadway to a larger location at 621 Broadway.

* The Cape Girardeau County Industrial Development Authority approved the issuance of up to $250 million in tax-free revenue bonds to fuel the construction of a $58 million ethanol plant in the Nash Road industrial park.

* Bening Mazda became the new Mazda dealership in Cape Girardeau.

* Gary and Sandy Helwege began construction of a new strip mall in the 1100 block of North Kingshighway.

* Fred Finnell opened a new computer services store at 1733 N. Kingshighway - Cutting Edge Solutions.

* Convention and Visitors Bureau officials unveiled a new marketing logo that depicted the sun rising over the Mississippi River and the slogan "where the river turns a thousand tales."

* Two older commercial buildings - the former Health Services Corp. of America and the former Dialysis Center - were torn down at I-55 and Bloomfield Road. The prime, high-traffic tract, along with eight adjoining acres, was cleared to make way for development as a retail spot, an office development or a hotel.

* Emad and Mimi Salamy offered the Phoenicia restaurant on Sprigg Street for sale.

* Pyramid Clinical Services announced it acquired Occupational Medical Services at 21 Doctors' Park.

* Kevin Harris, whose family owned KFCs in the area for almost four decades, sold the restaurants to A&A Foods of California.

* A new Realty Executives office opened at 1359 N. Mount Auburn Road in Cape Girardeau.

* The $100 million Bill Emerson Memorial Bridge opened.

* Scott Hamann and Andy Baranovic announced plans to open a downtown restaurant - Sidewalk Sandwich Co. - at 119 Themis, the former location of Grace Cafe and Corner Cafe.

* Scott City-based Security Bank and Trust opened its first Cape Girardeau branch at 325 Broadway.

* Charles L. "Charlie" Hutson, 65, president of Hutson Enterprises, died.

* Southeast Missouri Hospital officials broke ground for a new $15 million medical office building.

* Mike and Judy Bryant opened the Landing Place Airport Restaurant.

2004

* Indianapolis-based Charlie & Barney's announced plans to bring its chili restaurant to Cape Girardeau.

* The K-9 Training Center moved from Jackson to Cape Girardeau at 423 N. Broadview.

* Cora and Doyle Sample took over Pop's Pizza from Eric Lambert.

* Circuit City closed its store at 164 Siemers Drive.

* Broussard's Cajun Cuisine, a popular downtown Cape Girardeau restaurant and bar, was sold to Hunter and Stephanie Clark.

* A month after a fatal shooting outside The Taste, 402 Good Hope, Patrick Buck decided not to reopen the after-hours club.

* Hobby Lobby expanded its store on South Kingshighway, adding 10,000 square feet.

* Hale's Fine Jewelry closed after nearly 50 years of business in downtown Cape Girardeau.

* Woody's Greek House, in downtown Cape Girardeau since 1978, closed its fraternity and sorority accessory store on Spanish Street.

* Back Porch Antiques opened at 27 N. Main.

* Sean Wibbenmeyer purchased the former My Daddy's Cheescake building on North Main, with plans to move Hempie's there from 110 Themis.

* Two days before My Daddy's Cheescake was scheduled to close, Kevin Stanfield approached owner Wes Kinsey with a deal that saved the business.

* Structural roof problems forced the U.S. Postal Service to vacate its headquarters at 320 N. Frederick and move temporarily to a commercial building at Good Hope and Christine.

* Cathy's Hair Supply moved from 35 N. Main to 519 Broadway.

* Shamica Stilley opened Perfumes on Broadway at 520 Broadway.

* Lawyers Jerry Jones and Michael Deimund purchased the office building at 2851 Professional Court, just south of Independence and east of Silver Springs Road, and opened their law practice there.

* A-1 Affordable Mini Storage began leasing storage units at 57 Sena Fawn Drive.

* Land that formerly was home to Southeast Discount Golf and driving range was reshaped into Cape Camping and RV Park.

* Mark and Kimberly VanMatre announced that a Krieger's - Your Hometown Sports Grill would be built on a site beside Schnucks, at Merriwether and Leming.

* Trae and Misty Thrower reopened the Bel Air Grill at 24 S. Spanish.

* Thorngate Slack Outlet Store moved around the corner, from 637 Broadway to a new location on Sprigg Street.

* Su Hill, owner of Saffron, purchased the building her Thai eatery, Manee Thai, previously occupied on Broadway.

* Fabick CAT announced plans to close its 63-year operation in Sikeston, Mo., and move to Cape Girardeau.

* Cape Girardeau's Planning and Zoning Commission approved a plan by Jim and Michaele Riley and Jerri and John Wyman to build 17 luxury townhouses at 210 N. Spanish.

* Cape Girardeua City Council approved a state sales tax holiday, designed to give a tax break to back-to-school shoppers.

* Bob and Rob Osborn reopened the Meat Shop at 1225 S. Kingshighway.

* First State Community Bank announced plans to build a new two-story building at Broadview and William.

* Don and Cheri Harris announced plans to open McAlister's Deli at 244 S. Mount Auburn Road.

* After a fire in April, Special Touch Pet Grooming rebuilt on the same site, 2719 Thomas Drive.

* USA Mattress Outlet moved from Indepedence Street to 2228 Bloomfield.

* Kim McKee opened the expanded Hair Styling for Men at 601 N. Kingshighway, offering clients hair cuts, pool and darts.

* Emad and Mimi Salamy closed the doors of their restaurant, Phonecia.

* St. Louis Nights - otherwise known as Blues On Broadway - closed its doors.

* Todd and Dawn Field opened Cat in the Cream ice cream parlor.

* American Rebel Motorcycles opened at 839 S. Kingshighway.

* Scott Lipke and Gerald Jones II of Jackson and Mike Deimund of Cape Girardeau opened their new law office at 2851 Professional Court in Cape Girardeau.

* Cape Alternative Farmers Market opened at Arena Park, offering hydroponic fruits and vegetables.

* Wink's convenience store, 2021 Perryville Road, closed its doors.

* Owner Vince Kelley announced that Eggimann Feed and Seed at 514 Independence would be demolished.

* The old Taco Bell building, 1740 Broadway, was sold to John Cai, owner of China Palace.

* Bob and Linda Bohnsack, operators of the Garden Gallery at 833 Broadway and owners of much of that block, launched a renovation plan to remake the storefronts at 821 Broadway and put the entire building under one roof.

* Mr. Bulky Treats and Gifts closed its Westfield Shoppingtown West Park store.

* After 30 years selling two-way radios in Benton, Mo., Greg and Richar Dittlinger opened a second store in Cape Girardeau.

* Paula Schnurbusch and Suzanne Buchheit closed Hand Me Arounds.

* Midamerica Hotels Corp. broke ground in June for a Holiday Inn Express Hotel and Suites.

* Furniture Garden moved from 18 N. Sprigg to the corner of Sprigg and William.

* Lerner New York was renamed New York and Co.

* Euro Decor, offering handcrafted porcelain figurines from Europe and complete china services, opened in Westfield Shoppingtown West Park.

* Kohl's Department Stores and Sears, Roebuck and Co. tentatively agreed - subject to tax incentives from the city - to build facilities on opposite sides of Siemers Drive in Cape Girardeau.

* Carol-Cyn's moved from downtown Cape Girardeau to 1910 Independence.

* Dr. Judy Statler opened Riverview Counseling at 115 Broadway.

* Broadway Sports Cards closed its doors.

* Even while renovation work continued, the first state agency moved into a suite on the second floor of the Marquette Towers.

* The Pladium sports bar, 1127 Broadway, closed.

* Cape Girardeau City Council approved an amended lease agreement giving financially troubled Renaissance Aircraft until Oct. 1 to get its airplane manufacturing business up and running at the regional airport.

* Jennifer Eudy opened Laser Memories at 18 N. Spanish.

* Fred and Donna Themm moved their shop, The Bell, Book and Candle, to 637 Broadway.

* An expanded Hobby Lobby Creative Center opened at 207A S. Kingshighway.

* Negwer Materials Inc. announced plans to open a regional distribution center at 1816 E. I-55 Outer Road, across the interstate from the Cape Girardeau Regional Airport.

* Daniel Alvarez announced plans to open a second El Torero restaurant in the former Taco Bell location on Broadway. At the same time, Alvarez said he would open a food distribuiton outlet at 18 N. Frederick, named 2 Naciones.

* Steve Majeed reopened Broadway Station gas stop and soda shop.

* Spartech Corp. added 14,000 square feet of warehouse space to its Cape Girardeau sheet division operation at 2500 Spartech Drive, leasing a warehouse at 229 Rear Broadview.

* Tags-N-Trinkets opened in Westfield Shoppingtown West Park.

* American Title Co. purchased the 1.43-acre lot behind Kmart with plans to construct an new building for the company.

* The building that formerly housed Phoenicia, specializing in Middle Eastern cuisine, became Old Bavarian Dining.

* Jay Porter, Donnie Whitmore and Tim Lee established The Waters Edge.

* Sam Egson opened Sam's BBQ at 621 Good Hope St.

* Lawyer Mark Johnson announced plans to develop a downtown parking lot north of Broadway, between Water and Main. He hoped to build a two-story office building on the site.

* Cape Girardeau city government considered a proposal to convert Main Street from one-way traffic to two-way traffic, and to make Water Street one-way going north.

* Eugene Holloway proceded with plans to clear a piece of land off of Boulder Crest, next to Cape Girardeau County Park South, as the future site of a commercial development.

* Tom and Judy Millburg sold Cape Communications Corp., to two employees, Mark Essner and Mike Bles.

* Fred Elias announced the closing of Elias Family Center in Cairo, Ill. His location in Cape Girardeau will remain open.

* Ken and Keith Inman purchased Century 21 Heartland facility in Jackson and its satellite office in Marble Hill.

* Benning Automotive Group acquired land just south of Bluff City Bear Co. on Siemers Drive. The lot will be home to a new full-service Mazda dealership.

* O'Reilly Automotive Inc., based in Springfield, Mo., announced plans to locate a new auto parts store in the old Freedom Rock building at 370 N. Kingshighway.

* George Yee sold Imperial Palace Buffet on William Street to Tommy Chen, who opened Phoenix Buffet at the same location.

* Matt Schwartz started Worship Audio Video Consultants LLC in Cape Girardeau.

* California Juice Bar reopened at 1034 Broadway.

* Work progressed on a new office building at Independence Street and Silver Springs Road, which will house Substance Abuse Traffic Offenders Program.

* Ed Radetic and Jeff Unterreiner announced plans to build their second Dairy Queen in Cape Girardeau, this one at 3026 N. Sprigg. Their first store was on William Street, near Kingshighway.

* Gary and Sandy Helwege and Gary and Jane Stanley purchased 15.5 acres on the 1700 block of North Kingshighway, where a new development, North Pointe Center, a Destination," will be built.

* The Pladium bar was reopened by new owners Mark and Paul Dirnberger under the name D'Ladium.

* Richard Loomis closed his Candy Cane Cleaners location at 1 Plaza Way, combining it with operations of Parisian Cleaners, 340 N. Kingshighway.

* Father and son Mike and Nikki Stallion went into partnership with designers Grady Wooten and Pam Davidson to form Keystone Design, Architecture and Engineering Firm.

* Approximately 1,850 people attended the open house at the renovated Marqauette Tower.

* Burrito-Ville owner Justin Denton announced plans to move eatery back to Broadway from 820 N. Sprigg. Denton purchased the Broadway Dairy Queen location with plans to move his restaurant there.

* John and Jerry Wyman confirmed they have purchased a number of downtown properties from Marty and Tootie Hecht, including the flagship store at 107 N. Main.

* Carol Schwettman and Cyndi Schutt moved Carol-Cyn's, a women's apparel and accessories store, to 1910 Independence, with plans already in the works to move again to more spacious quarters.

* Susan Strode bought Dockside Consignment and its home in the old JCPenney building at 4 N. Spanish St.

* Xtreme Motor moved from 1401 Independence to the former location of R and S Auto Sales, a couple blocks down Independence.